[Jewelry making - Article 00323] - [Orchid] 3D CAD/CAM softwares I tested

[davidchang545]

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Hi everybody,

    I have tried several well-known 3D CAD/CAM software solutions. I'm a
    student in a European jewelry design school and my last assignment
    was to research new technologies in the jewelry design market
    worldwide. 

    Here is my viewpoint of the solutions I tested: 

    - Matrix: Main advantages: friendly interface, surface modeler,
    works with NURBS and in full 3D, different weight and calculation
    "builders", rendering mode and animated rendering mode with flamingo
    (non-integrated as it is a Rhino plug-in). Both rapid prototyping
    and CNC machines can be used. Unfortunately, matrix is the most
    expensive jewelry software (around $7000) and keeps no track of
    construction steps! and believe me it is a very useful function when
    you have to change the sizing of a model or other details. I'm sure
    you see what I mean! 

    - Jewel Cad. advantages: Affordable. Limits of the software: old
    solution with non-modern icons and interface. No development, no
    support. limited renderings. 

    - Rhino. Cheap for the simple version and costs around $1200 for
    Rhino+Flamingo (rendering software). main advantages: powerful. You
    can create and edit objects as well as surface and solids; numerous
    input and output file formats. Disadvantages: difficult interface;
    general software meaning that without the plug-in, it remains quite
    weak for 3D jewelry design. Does not have specific jewelry-oriented
    functions. 

    - Jewel Smith: Easier to learn than Rhino. Interesting for bas
    relief jewels such as medals or earrings. Attractive and pleasant
    interface. But jewel smith is like a "toy", by which I mean it is
    limited; more oriented towards CNC machines. No solid modeling. 

    All the aforementioned solutions are well-known. Of those, Matrix
    was my favorite, but my company and I gave it up for 3Design jewel.
    This new software is more jewelry-oriented than the others. It
    allows freestyle manual design. I like its modern interface and
    technology, its assembly construction possibilities, its useful
    wizards. In addition, it is parametric! it is just simple and
    pleasant to use. For my personal use, I have been renting the light
    version for the last couple of months for $120/month. I got a free
    7-day evaluation copy on www.3designexpress.com 

    I have now a new topic to work on (very important for my
    degree!):"the service bureau". Can anybody here tell me about his or
    her experience in details (costs, deadlines, etc...). Is it better
    to send a design file to a service bureau or to buy a machine to
    manufacture directly your design? 

Thanks for your help
D.Chang

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